On the lookout

Fire crews are stationed throughout the park

Smoke at the far end of Lake McDonald hides the mountains and the start of Going To The Sun route

WEST GLACIER, MT - - There were nearly 150 lightening strikes in Glacier NP on Thursday night. Some started small blazes.  The fire danger in  the park is listed as extreme.  Rain has been almost non-existant in the past two months.  So the park has beefed up its fire fighter contingent.  The crew working the "look out" brush truck (top) are from Mesa Verde NP (AZ).  The three (one female, two male) have been here for three weeks and don't see any end to their duty.
     "It's where the action is," noted the one crew member as they got ready to move to a new location.
The trio had just finished fueling up at Pole Bridge Mercantile.  One of our favorite places slightly off the grid and well known for great baked goods and good coffee.
     The smoke/haze on the mountains is mainly from wildfires burning just to the north in Canada mixed with the smaller blazes in the park.

     So now you're asking yourself how did we get from coastal Washington to Northwest Montana.  We took a few "scenic" highways through North Cascades NP and eastward.  Smoke, smoke and more smoke made the 400-plus mile journey not very scenic.  We had planned to head north into Canada at about halfway to Glacier, but crappy conditions ended that idea.  Next we thought we would get to Glacier, spend a few days and then head North.  Right now conditions don't seem to make that likely.  But we're in our favorite location..Glacier Campground..and we don't mind hanging out here for a while.  Since we "lived" here for three summers while we worked in the park and have spent a good deal of other 'camp-days' here we're treated as sort of long lost distant relatives.  We're lucky that they always seem to find a campsite for us.